ARTICLES ABOUT EYE BY DATE - PAGE 2

Dwayne Johnson is in early talks to star in Robert Ludlum 's " The Janson Directive " for Universal. If a deal closes, Johnson will also produce with Universal currently out to writers to pen the script. The book follows a former consular ops agent who, after leaving covert operations due to the high number of sanctioned serial killings, goes into business as private security consultant. Teamed with a sharpshooter, Janson only takes assignments that he believes will lead to helping those in need.

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Prime Minister Narendra Modi's new government on Tuesday presented its first railway budget, promising to seek increased foreign and domestic private investment to fund modernization of the country's huge but badly stretched network. The state-owned railway has suffered from years of low investment and populist policies to subsidize fares. These have reduced the system to a slow, congested network that crimps economic growth. Revamping railways is among the top priorities of 63-year-old Modi, who sold tea to train passengers as a schoolboy and has vowed to build a vast network of high speed trains as his signature infrastructure project.

BEIJING (Reuters) - The Silk Road, an obscure Kazakh-inspired security forum and a $50 billion Asian infrastructure bank are just some of the disparate elements in an evolving Chinese strategy to try to counter Washington's "pivot" to the region. While Chinese leaders have not given the government's growing list of initiatives a label or said they had an overall purpose, Chinese experts and diplomats said Beijing appeared set on shaping Asia's security and financial architecture more to its liking.

The Sports Xchange Heat have eyes for Pelicans' Morrow The Miami Heat might have found a sharpshooter to help keep free agent superstar LeBron James and company happy. According to ESPN, the Heat is targeting 3-point specialist Anthony Morrow of the New Orleans Pelicans. But the Heat is not alone in their pursuit of Morrow, who averaged 8.4 points per game while shooting 45.1 percent from beyond the arc last season. The Oklahoma City Thunder also is entertaining the idea of adding Morrow's outside firepower to a title contender that already boasts major offensive threats of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

The Sports Xchange By MoiseKapenda Bower, The Sports Xchange Rookie Jones keeping watchful eye on Cano HOUSTON -- In advance of arguably the best game of his fledgling career, Mariners rookie center fielder James Jones knocked on the door of Seattle manager Lloyd McClendon seeking advice. He wanted to know how he could continue to improve, what measures he should take. "I told him to keep doing what he's doing," McClendon said. "Keep studying the way that he's studying and, whatever you do, don't let Robinson Cano out of your sights.

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's Soccer Federation has not considered hiring Argentine Diego Maradona as coach of its squad, the organisation said on Wednesday, shooting down rumours and suggestions by Maradona himself that he could be in line for the job. The federation has not yet replaced Cesar Farias, who quit in November after the team missed out on the finals in Brazil. "There has not been a proposal to hire the famous ex athlete and coach Diego Armando Maradona, despite insistence in recent hours by different media and social networks," the group wrote in a statement, citing its President Rafael Esquivel.

SEOUL (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in South Korea on Thursday, hoping to strengthen commercial and diplomatic ties while Seoul is expected to push Beijing to increase pressure on ally North Korea to end its pursuit of nuclear arms. The visit will include Xi's fifth summit meeting with South Korean President Park Geun-hye since both took office last year. The events in the South will be watched closely in the North, which has test-fired short-range missiles and rockets from its east coast three times in the past week and threatened on Thursday to continue doing so. North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, for which it is under U.N. sanctions, and its plan to hold a fourth nuclear test, will be high on the agenda, officials in Seoul said.

For a colorful, high-flying fest, hit the Eyes to the Skies Festival where dozens of hot-air balloons will brighten the sky over Lisle. Take the kids up for a tethered-balloon ride ($15-$20) or enjoy the view from a lawn chair. On the ground, find live music, food and kid-friendly entertainment, including face painting, magic shows and a carnival. On Friday and Saturday, balloons launch at 5:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., a “balloon glow” takes off at 8:15 p.m. and you can end both evenings with Independence-Day inspired fireworks at 9:45 p.m. July 3 - 5 in Community Park, Illinois Route 53 at Short Street, Lisle ( eyestotheskies.org )

PARIS (Reuters) - The French government, looking to cut healthcare costs, plans to authorize the use of Roche cancer drug Avastin as an alternative eye disease treatment to the much pricier Lucentis, marketed by both Roche and Novartis. The government said on Monday it had introduced an amendment to its social security budget bill that would allow doctors to use Avastin as a treatment for age-related macular degeneration (AMD)- a leading cause of blindness among the elderly. The initiator of the measure, Socialist lawmaker Gerard Bapt, argues that encouraging the use of the drug, which costs 30 times less than Lucentis, could bring the state annual savings of at least 200 million euros ($273 million)